Talkin' Bout My Girl
by LowlifeTheory
Summary: Stefan has been in NOLA all along with his lover, and whilst Klaus was being help captive, Stefan was helping Hope to remember her father.


Stefan watched Klaus watch Hope. It was amazing, to see him finally gaze at her face. Stefan had thought of this moment so many times, had played it out a thousand different ways.

Most times it was like this, but sometimes, when Hope asked questions, they played it out a little differently, but it all had the same result. This look on Klaus' face.

Klaus had been in the doorway for almost an hour when he finally moved and turned. When his eyes met Stefan's they widened. 'Hey,' Stefan whispered.

'I wondered where you'd gotten yourself to,' Klaus said.

'I was looking after your daughter,' Stefan said. 'I wanted to come get you but I knew you'd rather I stayed with her.'

Klaus didn't come near him, didn't reach out. Stefan understood, he'd been through a lot and he wasn't ready for this, not yet. Stefan was patient, he'd waited years for Klaus, he could spare as long as Klaus needed.

Klaus turned back and gazed at Hope again. 'She's beautiful.'

'She is,' Stefan said. Hope shifted but stayed deep asleep.

'You've been with her the whole time?' Klaus asked.

'I never left her side,' Stefan said.

It felt like an eternity since he and Hayley had stolen into the night. Like a lifetime had passed yet only moments since he last saw Klaus. Klaus looked different, older, tired, tense. Stefan wanted to rub the tension from his arms but he didn't dare touch Klaus, he had no idea what Klaus had been through these past years. He didn't want to startle him.

'Can you tell me about her?' Klaus whispered.

Stefan nodded. 'I'll do better than tell you, I'll show you, anytime you want,' Stefan said.

Klaus' eyes were wet when he turned away and shut the door with a soft click. 'Uh, where do we-'

'You can sleep alone if you'd prefer,' Stefan said.

Klaus shook his head. 'I don't want to be alone,' he whispered. 'I've been on my own for years.'

Stefan nodded and held his hand out. Klaus took it and gripped Stefan tight as he followed Stefan to his bedroom. 'Make yourself at home,' Stefan licked his lips. 'I brought as much of your stuff as I could.'

Klaus nodded. Stefan watched him move around the room, touching his old sketch pads, Stefan's journals, the books on the shelf. He lifted one of Hope's drawings and his smile made Stefan's heart ache.

'Who is this?' Klaus asked.

'Everyone,' Stefan moved closer. The drawing was relatively new, sketched and colored a few weeks ago. 'That's Finn, and Kol beside him, Freya and Rebekah are over here with yellow hair.'

Klaus chuckled. 'She's good.'

'She is. This is me, and you're the one holding Hope's hand, and Hayley on the other side. Elijah beside her.' Stefan said. 'The whole family.'

'It says "for Daddy" down here. Does she call you Daddy?' Klaus turned to Stefan. He didn't look upset, more curious.

'No, you taught her to call me Papa before...well, she's always called me Papa. She drew this for you,' Stefan said. He could see the page start to shake, Klaus' hand was trembling.

'Did she know?' Klaus whispered. 'Was she expecting me home?'

'Out of the blue, Nik she's always doing things for you. Look,' Stefan reached for a wooden box that was underneath the coffee table. He sat on the sofa and Klaus sat next to him.

'What is this?' Klaus asked as Stefan slid it open.

'Hope collects things for you, she refers to this as your room too, so we've been filling this box for you,' Stefan said.

Klaus didn't look, not right away. Instead he dropped his head into his hands and covered his eyes. Stefan reached a tentative hand out and stroked Klaus' back.

'This was a mistake, it can wait,' Stefan reached for the box but Klaus caught his hand.

'No, I want to see,' Klaus said.

'Hope will want to show you this herself, I wasn't thinking,' Stefan said.

'No, let me see now, because if I see it with her I might-' Klaus stopped and Stefan reached for him. Klaus let Stefan hug him and Stefan ran his hands through Klaus' messy hair.

'Just tell me what you need baby, I'll do whatever you need,' Stefan said.

'Just don't leave me, don't torment me,' Klaus whispered.

Stefan held him tight and closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about what Klaus had been going through these past years.

Eventually Klaus pulled away and reached for the box. There were letters and notes, little stories and drawings, stones, leaves and dried flowers. Klaus examined little toys too, and pieces of ribbon and string.

'We go for long walks,' Stefan said eventually, when he thought Klaus was able to listen. 'We walk through the forests and climb trees. We watch wildlife and talk about the world around us, about how the earth was formed. She asks so many questions Nik, questions about you and your past. I told her what I could, told her stories about us, the good one obviously.' Stefan nudged Klaus.

Klaus smiled at him and leaned against him. 'Tell me more.'

'Well, when she was three she wanted to fly like a bird, so she jumped off a picnic table and I couldn't catch her, neither could Hayley, but I landed underneath her and she broke two of my ribs when she landed on me,' Stefan said with a grin.

'What does she like?' Klaus asked.

'She doesn't like strawberries, or anything strawberry flavored. She loves a corn dog with mustard, and she'd eat fruit loops for every meal if you let her,' Stefan said. 'Her favorite color changes daily, and she's very much attuned to the seasons and the moons, she puts great importance in the weather and we had to make our own weather stations and sundials outside.'

'Really,' Klaus said.

'I'm boring you,' Stefan stroked Klaus' hair.

'No, not at all. You could describe every pair of shoes she's ever worn and I'd absorb it all,' Klaus said sadly.

'She loves you, Nik she loves you so much. We talk about you every day, when I run out of stories that are suitable we make them up. We've rescued you, you know, both of us on white horses or sometimes we fly in, with magic wings or on a magic carpet and scoop you up into the air,' Stefan said. 'She even worried that you would have hair as long as Rapunzel.'

Klaus laughed and it warmed Stefan's heart to hear it. He wrapped his arms around Klaus' shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

'I've missed you,' Klaus turned in his arms and rested his cheek on Stefan's shoulder.

'I missed you,' Stefan said. Klaus turned and pressed a soft kiss on Stefan's lips. It was chaste but full of promise and Stefan was content to just hold Klaus for now, but he knew that when Klaus was ready he'd be tossed on the bed at Klaus' whim.

'I don't want to go to sleep,' Klaus blinked. 'But I need to.'

'I'm not going anywhere, Nik, I'm going to be right here for you the way you were for me,' Stefan promised.

Klaus stood and pulled Stefan to his feet. 'As I recall we fucked that trauma out of you.'

'We did,' Stefan agreed. He let Klaus pull him close for another kiss, and he let Klaus deepen it, doing whatever Klaus needed.

'Will you take care of me?' Klaus whispered. 'Please.'

'Of course,' Stefan ran his thumbs over Klaus' cheeks. 'I'll do whatever you need.'

They stripped and fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Klaus wanted to be touched and reassured constantly, and Stefan took his time worshiping him. They fell asleep wound around each other, but Stefan woke early, and in the morning light be could barely take his eyes off Klaus' soft features.

Stefan woke first, and they made their way outside into the fresh air where most of Klaus' siblings waited. Stefan listened for her, this was where she liked to meet him so they could plan their day, but he would need to amuse himself today, and he found the thought didn't bother him at all.

And then he heard footsteps, they all did.

The door opened and Stefan watched as Hope laid eyes on her daddy.

And all was right with the world.


End file.
